Butzel Long

Butzel Long at a Glance

Uppers

“Collegiality of the business environment”

“The people”

Downers

“Lack of a formal mentorship program”

“Very small bonuses”

About Butzel Long

Founded in the mid nineteenth-century, Butzel Long has become
one of Michigan's largest law firms, with core practice areas in
corporate law, labor law and litigation. The firm has earned
recognition for being a great place to work, with progressive
commuter benefits and flexible work schedule policies.

The Law of the Great Lakes

For more than 150 years, Butzel Long has represented
Michiganders on land and on sea. Admiralty law specialist William
Austin Moore founded the firm in 1854, representing clients in the
Great Lakes shipping trade. The firm became
somewhat of a magnet for Democratic attorneys with high political
profiles, including several who went on to work for the Grover
Cleveland administration. In addition to dealing with international
shipping laws, Butzel Long's early attorneys landed high-profile
publishing clients. Butzel Long lawyer Elliot G. Stevenson, for
example, defended five Detroit newspapers in libel charges, and
also took on the Chicago Tribune as a client when Henry
Ford filed a libel suit against the paper.

From the maritime and media focus of its first decades, Butzel
Long has evolved into a well-rounded firm that handles litigation,
corporate, real estate, labor and employment and more. The firm's
clients have included the University of Michigan, Exxon-Mobil, the
Detroit News, CBS, Wal-Mart Stores and Infinity
Broadcasting.

The firm also has a growing international arm, bolstered by
alliances with firms in China and Mexico. As part of the China
Alliance-a collaboration with three other firms-Butzel Long advises
clients with operations in China.

Motor City Motions

As would be expected for one of Detroit's leading firms, Butzel
Long has longstanding ties with the automotive industry. In its
early years, the firm represented the Dodge brothers in a dividend
dispute against the Ford Motor Company (with the winnings, the
brothers went on to form their own car company). The firm also
helped incorporate General Motors in 1910 and assisted in
restructuring the company a decade later. More recently, the firm
represented DaimlerChrylser in a tax controversy with the state of
Michigan.